I'm new to the Bachmann line of trains and it all started with a $30.00 pond shop train set. One of our club members told me about it and he bought it for me. The owner wanted $50,00 for it in broken condition but settled on $30.00.

The club member also had another 4-6-0 that would not work he let me work on it and I was able to repair it to working order. Someone must have dropped it because the weight on the chassis was broken off among other parts. This started my Bachmann train collection.

I have now the original pond shop train a standard 4-6-0 that I rebuilt with a new gen. 5 chassis I built up from ordered parts, a WT&NC anniversary and a E.B.T. gen.6 anniversary. I still have the original pond shop chassis in parts as well. I have modified all these locos to make 4 chuffs per rev. and additional capacitors soldered to the pcb boards in the tenders for a better sound. I tested these trains yesterday out side as the weather was in the High 60s and all ran quite well. The newest set is the WT&NC I assembled from ordered parts and it made the best sound of the 3 locos.

I also bought a 2-6-0 ( couldn't pass it up as it was the last the dealer had and I got it for 1/3 the cost of a new one). It came dcc ready and along with the other locos I would like to ad a sound decoder and other electronics to run my trains on RC and battery power some time in the future.

I have had great :- results working with the Bachmann parts dept. and their friendly staff.

It's winter here in Ohio and I think I'm in train withdraw because our club had a large diesel loco display set up at a local greenhouse / garden center from late Nov. through Christmas to Jan 5 when we dismantled it.

If your interested go to NAGRS.com web site and see the photos. We also set up another large display at Crocker Park a shopping center near Cleveland. I helped install both displays and did maintenance on the display at the greenhouse also on Sundays we would run our steam trains so I was able to run some of my Bachmann fleet.

The club I'm in is the Northern Ohio Garden Railroad Society and we have been doing these displays for 4 years now.

Regarding my recent purchase, a Spectrum 2-6-0 Russian Steel locomotive I recently bought, I'm glad I didn't pay the full price but got a massive discount even though it is a new loco because the loco has no sound. It is advertised as dcc ready. I would have thought Bachmann would have installed the same sound electronics as in a 4-6-0 Big Hauler for the $12,00 MSRP or even the $790 to $800 price on various websites.

In the future I plan to add sound and remote walk around control to this and my other locos.

I also have a PIko 2-6-0 mogul and an Aristo craft 040 Rogers the Piko has magnetic track pick up sound and the Rogers has some kind of goofy sound triggered from a tender truck. I could buy the Piko dcc controller and install their dcc sound board in the tender of the Piko 2-6-0 but the cost for all the electronics is way out of my budget and I don't think the Piko electronics will interface with my Bachmann locos so I think I'll wait for soundtraxx to make a G scale sound system.

I have been having difficulty with the plastic wheels attached to the metal drivers on the 4-6-0 locos.

I have only been able to take one of these plastic wheels off without cracking or breaking the spokes. The newest loco I recently bought I decided to take the first driver apart ( I didn't do this on my other two locos but installed the new bands without disturbing the wheel assembly ) to install 2 new bands on the chuff drum so the loco would make 4 chuffs per rev. I also found the screws holding the wheels on the axels were loose.

Is this a common thing that these screws would be loose and should I check the other wheels as well? This is a new gen. 6 chassis loco and never ran so I didn't expect to find these screws loose.

The other drivers will be more difficult to disassemble the plastic wheels before I can get to the screws.

I was thinking of some how using hot water to help make the plastic wheels cooperate with the removal but if there is a better way please let me know.

Hi Dr Who?Every new chassis I had was tight when I received it but after many hours of use, the wheels seem to loosen from the axles.

The way I remove the plastic inserts from the metal wheels is by pressing or even lightly tapping, with a small punch, the back side of of the plastic insert where the counter weight is until it starts to separate and then gently prying, again from the back side, around the wheel as it separates.

The way I tighten the wheels, after removing the inserts, is to remove the screw holding the wheel to to axle and place a small washer on the screw and reinstall it. It seems the plastic insulator between the wheel and axle deforms and you can't tighten the screw enough to keep the wheel tight to the axle. Be careful if you use a metallic washer! You don't want the metal wheel to make contact to the axle through the screw! If you're running track power you'll have a direct short, and nothing will run if that happens

I tried the very hot water attack with some success but never thought to use some drifts or punches as in replacing bearing races. I normally think of these kind of approaches but somehow trains and cars didn't register with this process.

I will be getting a new 4-6-0 soon and I want to install 2 more metal bands to the chuff drum also your info about the loose screws is most helpful. You mentioned using washers between the axel bushing and the screws but didn't mention using metal washers but said something about the washer coming in contact with the metal axel. Did you use some kind of non metallic insert in the washer hole and use a washer with a large or drilled out hole?

I can understand over time and running the loco that the bushings would deform allowing the screws to loosen up. When I installed the screws and wheels back on the axels I used red locktite to help keep them tight.

I like your washer approach and must figure a way to make sure they don't connect with the metal parts of the axels.

Is there a way to produce a louder/more volume chuff sound from the electronics installed in my 4-6-0 anniversary locomotives? I would like to keep the original board that is in the tender at this time because I run all my locos from track power. I was thinking of adding some kind of small amplifier to the existing board and powering it from power pickup trucks I would install. Does this sound feasible or has anyone done something similar?

Dr.I would not use red Locktite!! maybe just a small spot of blue. You might need to remove that screw again. Red is very hard to to loosen without heat.

The washers I use are just slightly larger in diameter then the screw head. they are brass, but that shouldn't matter what they are made of, you just want the washer under the head of the screw to push down harder on the plastic bushing that separates the axle from the wheel. The only reason I use the small brass washers is because I have them and the other reason is because I have converted all my locomotives to battery power and I am not concerned about track power shorts.You could find some washers on McMaster-Carr's website.

I have a ET&WNC 4-6-0 that has the back of the cab cut out so that the boiler is exposed I was thinking of cutting out the parts on my other 4-6-0s so the nice details on the boiler are exposed as well.

Dr,That's funny you mention that. (cutting out the rear of the cab)I'm in the middle of kit bashing an old 4-6-0 I got on ebay for $41.00, shipping included. I just finished cutting out the back of the cab. This loco was #177 Denver & Rio Grand Western with the yellow and black paint job. I cut the rear sides between the two narrow windows all the way up to the bottom arch molding. I used a retractable box cutter with a new blade. I clamped a short 2x4 to a work bench and supported the inside of the cab with it while I slowly scribe with the point of the box cutter over and over until I was able to remove the rear of the cab. Now there's just one narrow window on both sides of the rear of the cab.

One thing to note, before you start cutting, is that you have to remove the windows and they are glued in and are brittle. I removed mine by carefully prying down the sides between the cab and window assembly. Go slow and carefully. I then cut the two inner windows from that assembly to match the cab. I reinstalled the window glazing by just sliding it back into place, no glue needed, it is a tight fit.

I also removed the boiler back head by sliding it up and off. I was really surprised how a little flat red, white and brass paint made the details pop on the back head. I'm now in the process of mounting an old version 5 chassis, that I had left over from an Annie chassis swap out. Ill be installing an LED head and back light, Revolution controller and battery power.

Thanks for the response to my customizing question. I was thinking of doing the same kind of cutting away of the unwanted cab parts with a sharp exacto type knife but my locos are the anniversary models and I am afraid I'll wreck some of the nice details on the boiler so I think I'll use a diamond disc on my drumel tool and go slow cutting the parts out. I don't want to take the cab off the loco so this will make things a bit tricky.

I have 3 anniversary models I would like to modify the cab on and I also have a $30.00 pond shop loco I have rebuilt into a anniversary model. I think I'll work on the pond shop loco first and see how things work out before attempting the other locos.

You are right customizing your locos is part of the fun of this hobby and especially on these cold winter days it keeps me busy.

Well I got enthused this pm so I decided to cut the cab on one of my new anniversary 4-6-0s using your suggestion. By using an exacto knife and some muscle. The results were right on. I was able to do all the surgery with the cab installed and I didn't wreck any of the details on the boiler or the rest of the engine either. The glass plastic was the worst as it is more brittle and I was afraid I was going to destroy the windows I still needed.

I have 2 more new locos to go so I hope all goes as well as this one. I took my time but my nerves had a work out because these locos are like 3 weeks new. There goes the warrantee I guess.

Now there is a guy on the web who customized the front of his loco by shortening the pilot truck and pilot like the 4-6-0 loco at the Tweetsie RR. It appears like quite a project but the results look great. There is one draw back though the loco won't run on a 2'(4' diameter) radius curve track any more. That is no problem for my layout as I have 10 and 8 foot diameter curves.

I have a lot to think about doing now I hope the weather turns colder so I might be able to do some more customizing .